We Usually Don't Have People In The Fire Lane,(Our Police Have Gave Out Enough Tickets To Keep People Out Of Them), But We Do Have A Problem With People Parking Directly In Front Of Hydrants, Especially The Ones Marked With A Sign Of Yellow Lines On The Road In Front Of It, So When That Happens And We Need Water, It's "Back Draft Time" As We Call It, We Pull Out Our Window Punch And There Go The Windows!!! We've Had To Do It Two Or Three Times, So You Would Think That People Would Get The Hint!!! Stay Safe!!!

Our department has a policy that we will not approach these people. Although it is not a written policy we are not to enforce the law. The police are. I would like nothing more than to be able to tell these people that they are illegally parked. Management seems to think it is not in our best interest to enforce the law. A simple MDT message to dispatch about people in the fire lane ususually results in an officer responding and running them off.

There was a great photo series from Oakland, CA, in the "Off-Site Headlines" on 9/25...doofus left his Beemer in the wrong spot.

We had that very circumstance a couple of days ago. Parking around the biggest hospital in our city is a little tight due to construction. We responded on an EMS call, and there was this guy parked right where we wanted to be. Soooo, the driver eases right up behind him, and he doesn't budge an inch. When we were about to cross the street, our driver got his attention and said, "You know this is a fire lane, right?" The guy acted surprised. Go figure.

A few years back, when I was Chief of the Dept. a member came into my office and asked if I could contact the chief of police about a ticket he received. He told me that he had parked in front of store for a moment. When he came out he had a ticket. He didn't think that was fair. When he told me that he had parked in a fire lane, I told him that I wouldn't call the police but, since he was suspended for a week, he had plenty of time to handle it himself.....He didn't think THAT was fair,either.

We've got quite a few shopping/apartment/healthcare complexes in our district, and it never ceases to amaze me the stuff people are capable of. Parking in fire zones, blocking hydrants and even parking in front of the firehouse!!! Unreal.

We've got a pretty large County Health Facility smack in the middle of our district that we run to a lot. You can always count on the county employees being in the FZ or blocking hydrants. Luckily, the cops love ticketing them. So, to prevent them from getting away before they get their ticket, box them in with the trucks!!! LOL

Another personal favorite of mine is when there's still someone in the car. Pull the truck up to them, leaving about a foot between, then blow the airhorns. (I knew they started putting the horns and speakers in the bumpers for a reason!)

We mainly use the above methods for repeat offenders and rude or indifferent violator (ex:"There's no fire here, you guys are here all the time for BS"). Most people get the benefit of the doubt.

And as far as any 'official' dept policy, we really don't have anything in writing. But the unwritten rule is to 1. Politely ask them to scram 2. If that fails, advise them they're breaking the law and we'll have the PD respond 3. After that point, we take the plate # and it's up to the PD, we don't have any enforcement powers, which is fine with us because it's less grief (and we have a good relationship with the PD)

The local police handle these situations for us on a pretty regular and pretty expensive basis. One of the posts above mentioned people parking in front of the fire station, I had a situation like that a couple of years back. The person was fairly rude about why they parked there when I asked them to move, so I advised them that if we caught a response while the car was parked there they would learn first hand the reason they put really big bumpers on the front of fire trucks. They promptly moved the vehicle.

We don't approach people as one has already said we are not the police. The picture is poetic justice however to add insult to injury the driver in the picture would receive a ticket as well as having our hose through his car. If a car is in a fire lane and I am responding to a call in the engine whatever happens is the illegally parked drivers fault and problem.

In my town we have several large shopping centers, two hospitals, 8 major schools, and many large multiple story buildings and quite often the occupants or owners of these buildings find it necessary to park in the fire lanes or infront of hydrants near these buildings. Usually people have enough decency to move when they see us rolling up, but there are those few that think the fire lane is thier private parking place so we just block them into the fire lane and call the police department via radio. In front of a hydrant also warrants the same unless the situation requires all pieces of apparatus to be doing something. I.E. a working incident which we would run a 5" through the window, which i've always wanted to do that. They won't be going anywhere for a while, and they get a ticket too.

Our chief has instructed us to lay under or over the offending vehicle and not break the windows. People who do stupid things get our medical help, why shouldn't we also preserve their property?
If we see someone parked in a lane we will radio for a PD unit to check by. One time Two other fire fighters and myself were sitting on the apron of our station when someone parked in front of our second out pumper. We told hiom he'd have to move it, and he acted surprised! Some people are just oblivious.